Mississippi Humanities Council

Water/Ways @ LMRF: Relay of Voices
2018-09-22 16:00 - 17:30 (America/Chicago) | Lower Mississippi River Foundation, 291 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, 38614, United States
On Saturday, September 22, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will present Relay of Voices at the Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarksdale. The dance and storytelling performance, which is free and open to the public, will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit Water/Ways, on display in Clarksdale through October 13.
Water/Ways is a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit explores water’s connection to all aspects of our society, including the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality.
Future Water/Ways Events @ LMRF*
September 22: Smithsonian Museum Day
September 22 (HELENA): Great Arkansas Clean Up
September 23, 3pm (HELENA): Autumn kayak tour
September 27, 5pm (HELENA): Youth art exhibit and sale
September 29, 12pm: Youth art exhibit and sale
October 6, 12pm: “Swimming and Civil Rights” panel discussion
October 6-7: Sunflower River Paddle Day
October 7, 12pm: “Mississippi River Blues”
October 7, 3pm (HELENA) Horner Neck kayak tour
October 13, 9am: River Clean-Up
October 13 (HELENA): Steamboat presentation and kids’ craft time
*Most Water/Ways events take place in Clarksdale. Some, as noted, take place in Helena, Arkansas.

Water/Ways @ LMRF: Smithsonian Museum Day
2018-09-22 | Lower Mississippi River Foundation, 291 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, 38614, United States
On Saturday, September 22, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will celebrate Smithsonian Museum Day at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. Free entry to the Delta Blues Museum will be available with a Museum Day ticket. Smithsonian Museum Day will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit Water/Ways, on display in Clarksdale through October 13.
Water/Ways is a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit explores water’s connection to all aspects of our society, including the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality.
For more information on Smithsonian Museum Day or to access free tickets, visit their website: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-2018/
Future Water/Ways Events @ LMRF*
September 22 (HELENA): Great Arkansas Clean Up
September 22, 4pm: “Relay of Voices” dance and storytelling performance
September 23, 3pm (HELENA): Autumn kayak tour
September 27, 5pm (HELENA): Youth art exhibit and sale
September 29, 12pm: Youth art exhibit and sale
October 6, 12pm: “Swimming and Civil Rights” panel discussion
October 6-7: Sunflower River Paddle Day
October 7, 12pm: “Mississippi River Blues”
October 7, 3pm (HELENA) Horner Neck kayak tour
October 13, 9am: River Clean-Up
October 13 (HELENA): Steamboat presentation and kids’ craft time
*Most Water/Ways events take place in Clarksdale. Some, as noted, take place in Helena, Arkansas.

Jane Austen in the Welty Garden: A Mini Film Series
2018-09-21 18:30 - 21:30 | MS
The Eudora Welty House and Garden, the Mississippi Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA), and Crossroads Film Society are partnering to present a third and final mini-film series featuring the cinematic adaptation of Jane Austen’s work or screening strongly linked with Austen or her work. Welt scholars are aware that Austen was one of Welty’s favorite novelists; Welty wrote and commented extensively on Austen’s fiction and the impact she had on Welty’s own writing.
There are excellent adaptations and modern films inspired by Austen’s novels that easily support a third and final season: Austen’s last novel, Persuasion, is being celebrated by Austen fans everywhere this year as 2018 is the bicentennial anniversary of its publication and there are two excellent film adaptations; the 1995 BBC adaption will be screened. Also selected is Belle, a 2013 film featuring a mixed race female protagonist who lives with a family connected to characters found in Austen’s novel Mansfield Park, and Austenland, a hilarious 2013 parody of contemporary Jane Austen fandom.
Austen scholar and biographer, Dr. Carolyn Brown, will lead and facilitate conversations around various themes before each film.

Ideas on Tap: The Politics of Sports
2018-09-18 17:30 - 19:00 | Hal & Mal’s, 200 Commerce Street, Jackson, MS, 39201, United States
On September 18, join the Mississippi Humanities Council at Hal and Mal’s in Jackson for “Ideas on Tap: The Politics of Sports.”
In recent months and years, the world of sports has increasingly found itself involved in as many conflicts off the field as it has on the field. We’ll examine the idea of protest politics in sports and the history behind it to figure out where athletes fit into our political world. We’ll also tackle current NCAA rules on paying college athletes to play, their historical precedent, and what they can teach us about our society. Panelists D’Andra Orey (Professor of Political Science at Jackson State University) and sportswriter Rick Cleveland (Mississippi Today) will share their thoughts. Sportscaster Jon Wiener will moderate.
You won’t want to miss this fun (and timely) conversation. As always, snacks and good conversation are on us, and drinks are on you.

Water/Ways @ LMRF: Flood Control on the Big River
2018-09-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Lower Mississippi River Foundation, 291 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, 38614, United States
On Saturday, September 15, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will present a panel discussion titled “Flood Control on the Big River” at the Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarksdale. The panel, including Paul Hartfield from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services and Hank Burdine from the Mississippi Levee Board, will discuss the history and future of flood control on the Mississippi River. The program, which is free and open to the public, will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit Water/Ways, on display in Clarksdale through October 13.
Water/Ways is a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit explores water’s connection to all aspects of our society, including the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality.
Future Water/Ways Events @ LMRF*
September 15, 12pm: “Flood Control on the Big River” panel discussion
September 22: Smithsonian Museum Day
September 22 (HELENA): Great Arkansas Clean Up
September 22, 4pm: “Relay of Voices” dance and storytelling performance
September 23, 3pm (HELENA): Autumn kayak tour
September 27, 5pm (HELENA): Youth art exhibit and sale
September 29, 12pm: Youth art exhibit and sale
October 6, 12pm: “Swimming and Civil Rights” panel discussion
October 6-7: Sunflower River Paddle Day
October 7, 12pm: “Mississippi River Blues”
October 7, 3pm (HELENA) Horner Neck kayak tour
October 13, 9am: River Clean-Up
October 13 (HELENA): Steamboat presentation and kids’ craft time
*Most Water/Ways events take place in Clarksdale. Some, as noted, take place in Helena, Arkansas.

Mississippi Writers Trail: Eudora Welty
2018-09-10 16:00 - 17:00 | Eudora Welty House & Garden, 1119 Pinehurst, Jackson, MS, United States
Unveiling of the first marker for the Mississippi Writers Trail. Marker #1: Eudora Welty.

Speakers Bureau: The Historic Journey of African American Quilters
2018-09-09 14:00 - 16:00 | Crosby Memorial Library, 900 Goodyear Blvd., Picayune, MS, 39466
Diane Williams, storyteller and fiber artist, begins her presentation with a discussion of Kente cloth weaved fibers of West Africa and moves on to utilitarian quilts made by African slaves in America who sewed for their owners. She provides a reflective look at how the designs of Underground Railroad quilts relate to storytelling, and explores the works of Harriet Powers (1837-1910) and three other female fiber artists. Powers was a model for women quilters of the late 19th-early 20th centuries. In her discussion of 20th and 21st century quilting, she uses the work of Faith Ringgold, Carolyn L. Mazloomi and Mississippi quilter/fiber artist Gwen Magee. Williams uses her storytelling skills to explore how images — in pictures, but also in quilts — can guide us to a place of tolerance, empathy and sensitivity.
Speakers Expertise:
Diane Williams is a neo-griot, along the lines of the storytellers from times gone by when oral historians were crucial to maintaining black folks’ history because book publishers didn’t believe the history worth chronicling. Williams is also a quilter, an artistry befitting for a woman known for paying homage to the past. Williams uses silk yarns, beads, stones and vibrant colors to make traditional quilts with Motherland inspiration to tell stories of strength, resilience and hope.

Water/Ways @ LMRF: Ebbs and Flows in Mississippi History
2018-09-08 12:00 - 13:00 | Lower Mississippi River Foundation, 291 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, 38614, United States
On September 8, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will host Dr. James Giesen of the MHC’s Speakers Bureau to present his free and open to the public lecture “Water Ways: Ebbs & Flows of Mississippi History” at the Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarskdale. The program will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit Water/Ways, which the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will host from August 31 through October 13.
There are few states where water has been more central to its history and culture than Mississippi. From ship-building on the coast to Native American migration along rivers and streams, from Civil Rights Movement wade-ins to Civil War strategy, water has played a central role in how and why the Magnolia State looks and operates as it does today. Giesen will tell three interrelated histories of water in Mississippi to make the case that Mississippians today often overlook both the breadth and variety of ways that water has affected the history of their state. From massive natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the 1927 Mississippi River Flood, to great success stories like the shipbuilding and fishing industries, to less well-known incidents where water played an important role in the development of small communities and towns, the talk will tell not just the well-known water histories of the state, but show how water has become an often overlooked factor in our past, present, and future.
Future Water/Ways Events @ LMRF*
September 8, 2pm (HELENA): “The Mississippi Flood of 1927”
September 14-15 (HELENA): “Plein Air Paint Out” art competition and classes
September 15, 9am (HELENA): Kayak test drive
September 15, 12pm: “Flood Control on the Big River” panel discussion
September 22: Smithsonian Museum Day
September 22 (HELENA): Great Arkansas Clean Up
September 22, 4pm: “Relay of Voices” dance and storytelling performance
September 23, 3pm (HELENA): Autumn kayak tour
September 27, 5pm (HELENA): Youth art exhibit and sale
September 29, 12pm: Youth art exhibit and sale
October 6, 12pm: “Swimming and Civil Rights” panel discussion
October 6-7: Sunflower River Paddle Day
October 7, 12pm: “Mississippi River Blues”
October 7, 3pm (HELENA) Horner Neck kayak tour
October 13, 9am: River Clean-Up
October 13 (HELENA): Steamboat presentation and kids’ craft time
*Most Water/Ways events take place in Clarksdale. Some, as noted, take place in Helena, Arkansas.

Speakers Bureau: Behind Every Good Man is a Civil Rights Heroine
2018-09-08 10:00 - 11:00 | Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, 386 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS, 39530
Who were the people who became most involved in the Civil Rights Movement? Who were its leaders and footsoldiers? How do we even define such roles? Who are the people who have become immortalized as heroes in our memory of the movement? Why? This presentation will explore the multitude of ways that women became involved in the pursuit of racial equality in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. It will also explore the great odds that they faced, not only as African Americans but also as women. I will focus espcially on women’s role in providing the informal leadership, infrastructure, and commitment necessary to maintain the stamina of the postwar civil rights struggle. Finally, we will consider the ways in which the memory of the Civil Rights Movement has erased or misrepresented women’s historic contributions in the struggle and the implications of this for future scholarship on the movement.
Speakers Expertise:
Dr. Rebecca Tuuri is an assistant professor of African American and American history at the University of Southern Mississippi. She received a Ph.D. in United States History from Rutgers University in 2012, with a concentration in Women’s and Gender and African American history. Her current manuscript, Careful Crusader: The History of the National Council of Negro Women in Black Freedom Struggle investigates the history of the civil war rights work of the largest black women’s organization in the 1960s and 1970s.

17th Annual Tennessee Williams Tribute: Tennessee, Tallulah and Truman... Birds of a Feather
2018-09-07 08:00 - 2018-09-09 17:00 | City of Columbus, Columbus, MS, 39705
MHC Sponsored Events include:
Saturday, 9/8
8:00AM– Tom’s Columbus
12:00 noon– Tennessee Williams Tribute Cinema: RAC screening of movie BOOM based on the Tennesse Williams play “Milk Train.”

Eyes on Mississippi
2018-09-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Delta State University, 1003 W Sunflower Rd, Cleveland, MS, 38733, United States
Delta State University will host Ellen Ann Fentress, author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker, on September 6th. At 6PM, DSU will screen Eyes on Mississippi, a documentary chronicling the life and work of journalist Bill Minor through his newspaper columns reporting race during the civil rights era. The event will be free and open to the public with refreshments. A panel discussion will occur immediately after the screening. Panelists include Ellen Ann Fentress; Aallyah Wright (DSU alumna in journalism and current reporter for Mississippi Today covering education and the Delta); Woodrow Wilkins (former Delta Democrat Times managing editor and current WXVT assignment manager); and JonMark Nail (DSU Assistant Professor of Digital Media Arts.) The panel will take place on the DSU campus in the Baioni Conference Center.

Cause Collective: In Search of the Truth
2018-09-05 10:00 - 19:30 | Pike School of Art, 100 5th. Street, McComb, MS, 39648
In Search of the Truth (The Truth Booth) is an installation comprised of a touring, portable, inflatable ‘Truth Booth’ that embarked on a world tour at the Galway Arts Festival, Ireland in 2011 . The exterior is iconically shaped like a giant cartoon speech bubble with the word ‘TRUTH’ boldly printed on the side. The interior acts much like a photo booth, but serves to compile 2 minute long video responses from the public. Once seated inside people are invited to record their opinions and thoughts as they finish the statement: “The truth is…”.
Throughout this long-term project the video footage will be compiled and edited into a video artwork. To expand and engage with audiences, the movements of The Truth Booth and sample responses will be tracked, edited, and categorized on a website. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to try to capture as many definitions, confessions and thoughts on The Truth as possible, creating a diverse ‘portrait’ of people across the globe.

Water/Ways @ Clarksdale: "Spirituality and Rivers"
2018-09-01 12:00 - 13:00 | Lower Mississippi River Foundation, 291 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, 38614, United States
On Saturday, September 1, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will host Dr. Wang Ping to present her program “Spirituality and Rivers” at the Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarksdale. The program, which is free and open to the public, will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit “Water/Ways,” on display in Clarksdale through October 13.
Water/Ways is a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit explores water’s connection to all aspects of our society, including the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality.
Future Water/Ways Events @ LMRF*
September 8, 12pm: “Water Ways: Ebbs and Flows of Mississippi History” Speakers Bureau presentation
September 8, 2pm (HELENA): “The Mississippi Flood of 1927”
September 14-15 (HELENA): “Plein Air Paint Out” art competition and classes
September 15, 9am (HELENA): Kayak test drive
September 15, 12pm: “Flood Control on the Big River” panel discussion
September 22: Smithsonian Museum Day
September 22 (HELENA): Great Arkansas Clean Up
September 22, 4pm: “Relay of Voices” dance and storytelling performance
September 23, 3pm (HELENA): Autumn kayak tour
September 27, 5pm (HELENA): Youth art exhibit and sale
September 29, 12pm: Youth art exhibit and sale
October 6, 12pm: “Swimming and Civil Rights” panel discussion
October 6-7: Sunflower River Paddle Day
October 7, 12pm: “Mississippi River Blues”
October 7, 3pm (HELENA) Horner Neck kayak tour
October 13, 9am: River Clean-Up
October 13 (HELENA): Steamboat presentation and kids’ craft time
*Most Water/Ways events take place in Clarksdale. Some, as noted, take place in Helena, Arkansas.

Water/Ways @ Clarksdale: Grand Opening
2018-08-31 18:30 - 20:00 | Lower Mississippi River Foundation, 291 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, 38614, United States
On Friday, August 31, the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit Water/Ways will officially open at the Lower Mississippi River Foundation in Clarksdale. The grand opening event will be the first time for the Clarksdale community to come out and visit the exciting new exhibit, which will be on display at the Quapaw Canoe Company through October 13.
Water/Ways is a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit explores water’s connection to all aspects of our society, including the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality.
Future Water/Ways Events @ LMRF*
September 1, 12pm: “Spirituality and Rivers” presentation, Dr. Wing Ping
September 8, 12pm: “Water Ways: Ebbs and Flows in Mississippi History” Speakers Bureau presentation
September 8, 2pm (HELENA): “The Mississippi Flood of 1927”
September 14-15 (HELENA): “Plein Air Paint Out” art competition and classes
September 15, 9am (HELENA): Kayak test drive
September 15, 12pm: “Flood Control on the Big River” panel discussion
September 22: Smithsonian Museum Day
September 22 (HELENA): Great Arkansas Clean Up
September 22, 4pm: “Relay of Voices” dance and storytelling performance
September 23, 3pm (HELENA): Autumn kayak tour
September 27, 5pm (HELENA): Youth art exhibit and sale
September 29, 12pm: Youth art exhibit and sale
October 6, 12pm: “Swimming and Civil Rights” panel discussion
October 6-7: Sunflower River Paddle Day
October 7, 12pm: “Mississippi River Blues”
October 7, 3pm (HELENA) Horner Neck kayak tour
October 13, 9am: River Clean-Up
October 13 (HELENA): Steamboat presentation and kids’ craft time
*Most Water/Ways events take place in Clarksdale. Some, as noted, take place in Helena, Arkansas.

Water/Ways in Clarksdale
2018-08-31 - 2018-10-13 | Lower Mississippi River Foundation, 291 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, 38614, United States
The Lower Mississippi River Foundation will host Water/Ways, a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution, from August 31 through October 13.
Water/Ways is a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. It consists of five free-standing display units incorporating photographs and text as well as numerous interactives ranging from basic flip charts to state of the art audio and video devices. Requiring a display area of a minimum of 650 sq. ft., the exhibit is designed for smaller venues, thereby achieving the goal of “bringing the Smithsonian to Small Town America.”
Water/Ways explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality. It looks at how political and economic planning have long been affected by access to water and control of water resources. Human creativity and resourcefulness provide new ways of protecting water resources and renewing respect for the natural environment.

Ideas on Tour: Culture & Appropriation
2018-08-28 17:30 - 19:00 | Lucky Town Brewing Company, 1710 N Mill Street, Jackson, MS, 39202, United States
Join the Mississippi Humanities Council at Lucky Town Brewing Company for the third and final installment in our summer series “Ideas on Tour.”
On August 28, we’ll examine the idea of cultural appropriation through the lenses of food, clothing, race, and music. What’s the line between appropriation and appreciation? How do we know what is “good” appropriation and what is “bad” appropriation? Join us as we tackle these questions–and many more–in a small group discussion format. You won’t want to miss this compelling (and experimental!) Ideas on Tap.

Monday Movies: All the Difference
2018-08-27 18:30 - 20:30 | Burns Belfry Museum and Multicultural Center, 710 Jackson Ave. East, Oxford, MS, 38655
The Oxford Film Festival will host a screening of All The Difference at the Burns Belfry on August27 at 630 p.m.
The largely invisible and often crushing struggles of young African-American men come vividly — and heroically — to life in All the Difference, which traces the paths of two teens from the South Side of Chicago who dream of graduating from college. Statistics predict
that Robert and Krishaun will drop out of high school, but they have other plans. Oscar®-nominated producer/director Tod Lending’s intimate film, executive produced by author Wes Moore, follows the young men through five years of hard work, sacrifice, setbacks and
uncertainty. As they discover, support from family, teachers and mentors makes all the difference in defying the odds.

Speakers Bureau: The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi
2018-08-25 14:00 - 15:30 | Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, 386 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS, 39530
This talk traces the roots of the modern civil rights movement to World War II, a movement that began long before the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 and lasted long after Dr. King’s assassination in Memphis in 1968, a movement that in many ways never ended. Specifically, Dr. Luckett discusses the major people and events of the modern civil rights movement in Mississippi like Emmett Till; Medgar and Myrlie Evers; Ross Barnett; the Citizens’ Council and the Sovereignty Commission; the Freedom Rides; James Meredith and the 1962 integration of Ole Miss; the 1963 Woolworth’s sit-in; leading civil rights organizations like the Council of Federal Organizations, the Congress of Racial Equality, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the NAACP; 1964 Freedom Summer; Fannie Lou Hamer; the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party; Anne Moody and Coming of Age in Mississippi; the Meredith March against Fear; and many other topics in the field.
Speakers Expertise:
As a Civil Rights historian, Dr. Luckett’s expertise is on the modern Civil Rights Movement and the African-American experience. As director of the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University, Dr. Luckett has become an expert on Walker’s life and her experiences, especially as they related to the Black Arts Movement of the 20th century.

Water/Ways @MIHM: All Things Mississippi
2018-08-25 12:00 - 13:00 | Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, 1808 4th Street, Meridian, MS, 39301, United States
On August 25, the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum will host Anne McKee of the MHC’s Speakers Bureau to present her free and open to the public lecture titled “All Things Mississippi.” The Speakers Bureau program will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s “Water/Ways” traveling exhibit, which the Industrial Heritage Museum will host from July 14-August 25.
Anne McKee is recognized statewide as a passionate teacher of Mississippi history. Through the art of storytelling, Anne McKee uplifts the accomplishments of famous Mississippians and shares explores the history of a land and a people like no other. Native to the state, McKee’s love and support for Mississippi began in childhood as she sat at the knees of relatives to learn the Mississippi story—a story for her that is always new and fresh. She dresses in costumes representing the time period of the stories featured on the day of her programs, and at times, if the audience is willing, involves attendees in her stories.
Speakers Expertise:
Anne McKee is a storyteller, free-lance writer and published author whose work is inspired by “her life in the south lane.” She is listed on the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Artist Roster and the MAC Teaching Artist Roster. In 2009, she published Historic Photos of Mississippi and in 2010, Remembering Mississippi, both celebrating the singular beauty and culture of Mississippi. McKee is a master storyteller who uses her craft to teach the history and heritage of the South through the art of story and drama.

Correcting Corrections: A Deep Dive on Prison Education
2018-08-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Old Capitol Inn, 226 North State Street, Jackson, MS, 39201
A deep dive panel discussion on prison education that will examine links between literacy and incarceration, literacy and the inmate experience behind bars and literacy and the re-entry into society. Q&A session will follow.
MODERATOR: Judge James E. Graves, U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
SPECIAL GUEST: Piper Kerman, Author of Orange Is The New Black
PANELISTS:
Carol Andersen, Mississippi Humanties Council Prison Education Director
Pelicia Hall, Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner
Betty Lou Jones, Mississippi Parole Board
Judge Keith Starrett, Southern District of Mississippi
PANEL SESSION IS FREE, REGISTRATION REQUIRED HERE, SPACE LIMITED

Speakers Bureau: The Delta Blues Today
2018-08-18 14:00 - 15:00 | St. Martin Public Library, 15004 Lemoyne Blvd., Biloxi, MS, 39532
This presentation begins with a performance of Delta blues songs from legendary Delta bluesmen and is followed by an overview of Delta blues and how it spread from the 1920s to the 1960s, influencing the blues in Chicago and, eventually, rock-n-roll. The presentation also includes a demonstration and discussion of various styles of blues and artists such as Skip James (Bentonia style), Tommy Johnson (Jackson style), Paul Jones (modern juke joint), R.L. Burnside (Mississippi hill country blues), Blind Boy Fuller and Blind Blake (Piedmont blues), B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and many others. Abel’s program also discusses the current state of the blues, as well as the future of the blues. The program includes performances by Abel on several of the instruments discussed during the talk, including the diddley bow and the cigar box guitar.
Speakers Expertise:
Growing up in the Delta, Bill Abel had the opportunity to study firsthand the blues and its culture and history. Abel has also played with blues figures in juke joints, yard, and festivals around the Delta. As a professional blues musician, Abel has traveled and performed with legendary blues figures and can discuss the way the blues are received in other parts of the world. He has also spoken in dozens of programs about blues, the most notable being the second annual International Blues Today Symposium held at the University of Mississippi.

2018 Mississippi Book Festival
2018-08-18 | Mississippi State Capitol, 400 High St, Jackson, MS, 39201, United States
The Mississippi Book Festival, a nonprofit founded by literacy advocates, launched in August 2015 on the State Capitol grounds and continues to draw thousands to its annual “literary lawn party” and book lovers’ celebration.
By its third year, the festival’s attendance reached 6,400 with 45 official panel discussions and activities at 10 different venues. Hundreds more enjoyed the festive music, food, social and retail vibe on the grounds outdoors. C-SPAN coverage expands its reach through live and later viewing.
Hundreds of contemporary authors — national, regional and local — connect directly with fans and new readers, as invited guests on Official Panels that explore in-depth themes, or along Authors Alley, the festival’s hub for self-published authors.
The historic setting and lovely grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol, nearby Galloway church and surrounding streets become a book lover’s playground with hundreds of visiting authors, panel discussions, book signings, booksellers, live music, tours, food trucks and kid/teen activities. Sponsored events and interactive fun roll out the welcome mat for families and engage even the youngest readers in the festival’s Kids Corner. There, the focus on books and authors ignites the imagination and sets the stage for a lifelong love of books.

Water/Ways @ MHIM: Keep America Beautiful
2018-08-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, 1808 4th Street, Meridian, MS, 39301, United States
On August 16, the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum will host a program titled “Keep America Beautiful” in partnership with the Keep Meridian/Lauderdale County Beautiful group. This program will feature a short film followed by a presentation from the Keep Meridian/Lauderdale County Beautiful group to share their different programs and initiatives. The free and open to the public program will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit Water/Ways, which the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum will host from July 14 through August 25.
Water/Ways is a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit explores water’s connection to all aspects of our society, including the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality.
Future Water/Ways events @ MIHM:
August 23, 5-9pm: Evening Steam Up event
August 25, 12-1pm: “All Things Mississippi” Speakers Bureau presentation

Speakers Bureau: The Delta Chinese in 20th Century Mississippi
2018-08-14 12:00 - 13:00 | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
When the Civil War brought an end to slavery, cotton plantation owners sought inexpensive labor replacements and some of the earliest Chinese to the Delta were recruited for this purpose. The Chinese did not embrace this role and instead carved a business niche in the Delta by opening grocery stores in black neighborhoods to serve cotton pickers who previously acquired their food and household items from plantation-owned commissaries. Chinese also came to the Delta from other parts of the U. S. to escape discrimination and violence in the west during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and carved out a distinctive position as a third element in a predominantly biracial society. This presentation explores the arrival of Chinese immigrants in the Mississippi Delta, the social, political and economic conditions of that era and the development of a Delta Chinese society. The presenter tells the story of the Mississippi Delta Chinese through his father’s and his own experiences growing up in a multiethnic neighborhood in Greenville, reflecting on how his musical talents helped him achieve acceptance and assimilation in the white dominant Delta society.

Speakers Expertise:
Sherman Hong was born in Greenville, Mississippi, during segregation and has investigated why the Chinese came to Mississippi in the mid-19th century. He entered “white” public schools soon after it was permitted in Greenville, and tells of his experiences in a deeply divided South in the 1940s to the 1960s.

Speakers Bureau: All Things Mississippi: The Beautiful Landscapes, and the Great Strength of the People
2018-08-11 11:00 - 12:00 | Meridian, MS
Anne McKee is recognized statewide as a passionate teacher of Mississippi history. Through the art of storytelling, Anne McKee uplifts the accomplishments of famous Mississippians and shares explores the history of a land and a people like no other. Native to the state, McKee’s love and support for Mississippi began in childhood as she sat at the knees of relatives to learn the Mississippi story—a story for her that is always new and fresh. She dresses in costumes representing the time period of the stories featured on the day of her programs, and at times, if the audience is willing, involves attendees in her stories.
Speakers Expertise:
Anne McKee is a storyteller, free-lance writer and published author whose work is inspired by “her life in the south lane.” She is listed on the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Artist Roster and the MAC Teaching Artist Roster. In 2009, she published Historic Photos of Mississippi and in 2010, Remembering Mississippi, both celebrating the singular beauty and culture of Mississippi. McKee is a master storyteller who uses her craft to teach the history and heritage of the South through the art of story and drama.

Water/Ways @ MIHM: Fish Fry & "Why We Call It Soul Food"
2018-08-09 18:00 - 19:00 | Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, 1808 4th Street, Meridian, MS, 39301, United States
On August 9, the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum will host Dr. Brinda Willis of the MHC’s Speakers Bureau to present her free and open to the public lecture titled “Why We Call It Soul Food.” This Speakers Bureau event will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit, which the Industrial Heritage Museum will host from July 14 through August 25. In addition to the lecture, the August 9 program will also feature a fish fry onsite at the Industrial Heritage Museum from 4-9pm.
Willis’s program tells the story of why southerners, especially African American southerners, call the foods we eat “soul food.” Dr. Willis discusses the emotional and physical aspects of soul food as it relates to our culture and history. She also discusses the bonds attached to the growing, nurturing and preparation of these foods as it relates to our culture and way of life in the South. Her August 9 program will also include stories about the significance of fried fish and fish fries in the South.
Future Water/Ways events @ MIHM:
August 16, 7pm: “Keep America Beautiful” presentation
August 23, 5-9pm: Evening Steam Up event
August 25, 12-1pm: “All Things Mississippi” Speakers Bureau presentation

Speakers Bureau: Mississippi Telling
2018-08-04 09:00 - 11:00 | Hernando Farmer’s Market, 2535 Hwy 51, Hernando, MS, 38632
Rebecca Moore Jernigan is an internationally recognized scholar and professional storyteller who resides in Oxford.

Water/Ways @ MIHM: Ebbs & Flows of Mississippi History
2018-08-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, 1808 4th Street, Meridian, MS, 39301, United States
On August 2, the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum will host Dr. James Giesen of the MHC’s Speakers Bureau to present his free and open to the public lecture “Water Ways: Ebbs & Flows of Mississippi History.” The program will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit Water/Ways, which the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum will host from July 14 through August 25.
There are few states where water has been more central to its history and culture than Mississippi. From ship-building on the coast to Native American migration along rivers and streams, from Civil Rights Movement wade-ins to Civil War strategy, water has played a central role in how and why the Magnolia State looks and operates as it does today. Giesen will tell three interrelated histories of water in Mississippi to make the case that Mississippians today often overlook both the breadth and variety of ways that water has affected the history of their state. From massive natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the 1927 Mississippi River Flood, to great success stories like the shipbuilding and fishing industries, to less well-known incidents where water played an important role in the development of small communities and towns, the talk will tell not just the well-known water histories of the state, but show how water has become an often overlooked factor in our past, present, and future.
Future Water/Ways events @ MIHM:
August 9, 4-8pm: Fish Fry and “Why We Call it Soul Food” Speakers Bureau presentation
August 16, 7pm: “Keep America Beautiful” presentation
August 23, 5-9pm: Evening Steam Up event
August 25, 12-1pm: “All Things Mississippi” Speakers Bureau presentation

Ideas on Tap (Oxford): Easy as ABC? Early Childhood Learning in Mississippi
2018-08-02 17:30 - 19:00 | Proud Larry’s, 211 South Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS, 38655, United States
Join the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Graduate Center for the Study of Early Learning, and the North Mississippi Education Consortium at Proud Larry’s on August 2 for “Ideas on Tap: Easy As ABC? Early Childhood Learning in Mississippi.”
With the new school year right around the corner, we’ll take the opportunity to focus on early childhood education in Mississippi. We’ll discuss the benefits and drawbacks of early childhood education, its effects on communities like Oxford, the history of pre-K in the state, and so much more. Panelists include Cathy Grace (Graduate Center for the Study of Early Learning); Tamara Bolt Hillmer (LOU Reads Coalition); and Michael Cormack Jr. (Barksdale Reading Institute). Kevin W. Frye (Lafayette County Supervisor and local attorney) will moderate the conversation.

Ideas on Tour: Truth Decay?
2018-07-31 17:30 - 19:00 | The Flamingo, 3011 N State St, Jackson, MS, 39216, United States
Join the Mississippi Humanities Council at the The Flamingo on July 31 for the second installment in our summer series “Ideas on Tour.”
On July 31, we’ll explore the idea of truth. Does absolute truth exist? Do museums tell the truth? Is journalism the truth? To tackle these–and other–questions, we’ll hear from a variety of angles: Steve Smith (Millsaps College) will examine the philosophical nature of truth and the idea of relativism; LaTanya S. Autry (Mississippi Museum of Art) will speak about truth and objectivity in museums; and Anna Wolfe (Clarion Ledger) will discuss truth and journalism amidst the growing claims of “fake news.” MHC Executive Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff will moderate the conversation.
The Ideas on Tour summer series will take place through August and will visit different spots around town each month. Join us for a fun summer on the road!
